‘Someone’s Watching Me!’ is an Unsung Classic [The Overlook Motel]
Welcome to The Overlook Motel, a place where under-seen and unappreciated films are given their moment in the spotlight. I hope you enjoy your stay here and find the accommodations to be suitable. Now, please take a seat and make yourself comfortable, I have some misbehaving guests to ‘correct’.
In this installment of The Overlook Motel, I’m taking a look back at a film from a well-known director that rarely gets the recognition it so richly deserves. Today, we’re revisiting John Carpenter’s atmospheric made-for-television horror-thriller, Someone’s Watching Me!
Leigh Michaels (Lauren Hutton) relocates to LA and moves into a modern high rise with all the amenities. Unfortunately, one of her new neighbors seems to have an unhealthy interest in Leigh. ‘Gifts’ begin to show up at her door and her phone starts to ring off the hook. Leigh is certain the person watching her intends her harm. But without any immediate threat, she is without legal recourse. So, she has to take matters into her own hands.
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Leigh is an engaging lead. Her fondness for practical jokes and her numerous quirks make her almost immediately relatable. She feels like someone you might actually know, as opposed to a two-dimensional character in a made-for-TV movie.
In addition to marching to the beat of her own drum, Leigh also holds her own as a strong and capable woman. She is self-assured, and never at a loss for words. Leigh moves at her own deliberate pace in her relationship with onscreen love interest, Paul (David Birney). She’s in charge of her own destiny and doesn’t need (or want) a man to make decisions for her. Case in point: when Paul suggests she move out of the building to avoid her stalker, Leigh vehemently rebukes that idea. She’s determined to not let a man chase her out of her own home.
When Leigh is harassed by an aggressive male coworker that won’t take no for an answer, she has no qualms about letting him have it. Rather than play coy and act like she doesn’t mind being treated like a sex object, Leigh shuts him down with haste. She doesn’t mince words or act beholden to him. She sends him on his way like the nuisance he is.
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Also impressive is the casting of Adrienne Barbeau as Sophie, a lesbian friend that Leigh makes after relocating to LA. That, in and of itself, was progressive. But what is really noteworthy is that Sophie’s sexual orientation has little to no bearing on the story.
When I was growing up, it was almost impossible to find LGBTQ+ representation, let alone positive representation on television and in cinema. The inclusion of an LGBTQ+ character that isn’t deranged, nor steeped in negative stereotype is meaningful.
Inclusivity aside, Carpenter displays expertise at creating tension. It makes it easy to see how he earned his reputation as a master of horror. The laundry room sequence is something of a master class in building and maintaining suspense. Carpenter’s long takes allow the audience to see through Leigh’s perspective. The camera fixates on the antagonist for long periods of time. This instills a profound sense of dread in the audience. In a recent re-watch of the film, I wanted to jump out of my skin during this sequence. That Carpenter can deliver suspense of that magnitude under the constraints of shooting for the small screen is nothing short of impressive.
To accentuate some of the intense moments in Someone’s Watching Me!, Carpenter utilizes voyeuristic camerawork to compliment the narrative, potentially causing the audience to feel as though they are looking in on Leigh from a distance, much like her unwanted spectator. That feeling is uncomfortable and highlights just how vulnerable Leigh is to her aggressor.
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Someone’s Watching Me! takes place in a time before stalking laws were commonplace, which only furthers the notion that Leigh is largely on her own. The audience sees that she is in danger. But the police are unable (or unwilling) to step in because no immediate threat of physical violence has been made. Both Carpenter’s script and direction lean into the frightening idea of going up against a stalker in a time before victims had the law on their side. We see the sense of fear turn to helplessness as Leigh realizes she is going to have to help herself if she has any hope of turning the tables on her stalker.
As for why the film remains under-seen, I suspect that has something to do with the fact that it debuted on television in the late ’70s. And Halloween tends to be the first title people think of when the conversation turns to early Carpenter. However, Someone’s Watching Me! is a suspenseful film that showcases Carpenter’s uncanny ability to build tension. If you’ve not yet checked it out, the flick is available to rent from most major VOD services. However, if you’re a fan of Carpenter’s work, I would suggest cutting to the chase and snagging a copy of the Scream Factory Blu-ray before it goes out of print. Don’t forget to let us know your thoughts on Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram.
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